Project HARASHO
by Enya Talisman
Summary: Normally, Eli would simply find a way to solve her own problems. However when it comes to a certain lyricist in Muse, she'll do anything in order to confess. Even if it means approaching the rest of the gang for help and to embark on Nico's plan with a rather stupid name.


Eli: This is a terrible idea.

Umi: What is?

Eli: !

Umi: Okay...? Enya doesn't own Love Live. (What's up with Eli...?)

XXXXXX

"Please help me." Eli said, kneeling on the floor. The seven students that stood in front of Eli had their mouths agape, unable to believe that the most capable member of the group would be grovelling for help.

"First of all, get up. Then tell us what's your problem." Nico said, unable to take a second more of Eli's kneeling. Eli immediately leapt to her feet and grabbed Nico's hands, her grip soon crushing Nico's hands.

"You've gotta help me! Valentine's Day is around the corner and I need all the help I can get! What should I do oh great Nico-nii of the universe?!" Nozomi resisted the urge to laugh at Eli's desperation, knowing very well that Eli is a serious person and would not appreciate the dismissal of her plea.

"What is it Eli-chan? Is it Umi-chan?" Eli flinched as she heard Honoka's question. Honoka noticed it and decided to shut up for the time being, not wanting to further panic the quarter Russian.

"Just go up and confess already. A simple 'I love you' will suffice, Umi's not the flashy type after all..." Maki suggested, twirling a strand of her red hair. Eli shot her a glare before turning back to Nico.

"Maki-chan's so cold nya~ No wonder you couldn't get it on with anybody yet!" Rin teased Maki, the latter attempting to strangle the cat-like girl if Hanayo wasn't restraining Maki.

"Maybe we can give you ideas on what to give to Umi-chan?" Kotori suggested, deciding to just help Eli instead of causing more chaos.

"That's right yan~" Nozomi drew a card from her deck, flipping it over to reveal 'The Lovers'. "Everything will go smoothly~"

"Is Honoka and Nico here?!" Umi stormed into the clubroom, a smile on her face. "You're supposed to study with me, Honoka, Nico, let's go." Honoka was dragged off by Umi while Nico followed behind Umi, understanding that resistance was futile. Before Nico disappeared with the other two, she poked her head inside the room and gave her parting words.

"Project HARASHO is underway! Fight-o!" The six said nothing about Nico's acronym, torn between to praise her for linking it to Eli or to whack her for such a weird acronym. All of a sudden, Kotori stood up from her seat.

"Oh right! I need to fix our costumes for the next live! Nozomi-chan, I really need your help since Nico-chan's busy! Good luck Eli-chan!" Kotori and Nozomi exited the room, leaving the four of them to discuss Eli's confession plans.

"So... uh... help?" Eli squeaked out, a blush on her face after being reminded by Honoka.

"I think Homura's manju will be a good choice? Umi-chan really loves their manju!" Hanayo suggested, trying to get the ball rolling. Thankfully, more ideas were starting to stream in though some are out of topic.

"Nya~ Give her soda! It's cheap and everybody loves soda nya!" Maki facepalmed at Rin's suggestion while Eli and Hanayo sighed.

"Uh... Rin? Umi actually hates soda just as much as you hate fish..."

"NYAAAAAA?! SERIOUSLY?!"

"Y-You didn't know?! I thought that was a joke!" Hanayo said, genuinely shocked that Rin doesn't know Umi's preferences.

"Well, Rin _is_ Rin. What do you expect?" Maki muttered, her words not going unheard.

"Well, what about you Maki-chan?! You haven't said anything nya!"

"Uh... A book I guess? Like a novel or a notebook...?" Eli noted down Hanayo's and Maki's suggestion, considering their suggestions.

"Anyways, what's Project HARASHO?" Hanayo asked, remembering the acronym Nico had made up.

"I have _no_ idea."

"Maki-chan always have no ideas!" Rin's head got smacked by Maki while Hanayo tried to minimise the damage. Eli decided to go home and think through what to give her crush in a few days time.

 _'After all, it's not like it's the end of the world for me if I rely on them for help...'_ Eli reasoned, placing all her trust in her friends.

XXXXXX

"Hey uh... Alisa? What should I give for Valentine's Day...?" Eli asked, timidly asking her younger sister for advice. Normally, it'll be Alisa who will rely on her sister for almost everything. Now, Alisa is the one who's going to help her beloved sister.

"Hm? You haven't thought on what to give to Umi-san?" Alisa asked, sending an arrow through Eli's pride. Yukiho stepped out from Alisa's bedroom and greeted Eli, a questioning look on her face.

"What's wrong Eli-san? We could help you if you like." Yukiho offered, sensing that Eli was in desperate need of assistance.

"Thank you Yukiho... Say, does Homura do... uh Valentine's Day manju...?" Eli asked sheepishly, making a mental note to pay Honoka extra for the manjus.

"Not exactly. But you could come over and make 'em. I mean, the person you're gonna give it to will be even more touched if you put all your heart into it." Eli nodded, agreeing with the younger Kosaka's words.

"Good point. When is it convenient for me to make them? Or am I supposed to make them at home?" The two girls laughed at Eli's statement, amused at Eli's thought process. "W-What's wrong?"

"Of course you're supposed to make them at Yuki-chan's place!" Alisa replied, wiping a tear from her eye.

"You should come over on the thirteenth, that way the manjus will be pretty fresh." Yukiho continued, holding her sides due to the pain induced by extreme laughter.

"Alright then. Is it possible to make rabbit-shaped manjus?"

"Yes it is. Oh if you'll excuse me, I have to ask sis about something." Yukiho excused herself and called Honoka. Alisa brought Eli to one side and whispered her ideas in her ear.

"You should bring some of our vodka over to her place. Better yet, put them into the manju!" Eli stared in horror at her sister's ideas, unable to comprehend where did she got all her ideas from.

"N-No! That's shameless! I mean, our vodka tastes good but still!" Alisa chuckled at Eli's embarrassment before going back into her room.

"Just consider it~ Tell Yuki-chan that I went back first." Eli nodded, sitting on the sofa in the living room. It was also at this moment that Yukiho had ended her call with Honoka.

"Sis won't be back on that night, so we could stay up all night making those manjus. I got her to stay at Nozomi-san's place, since they're dating and all."

"Thank you very much Yu- wait what? Honoka and Nozomi are dating?! Since when?!"

"Uh... No idea? I only knew about it three weeks ago when they were having sex. And Nozomi-san's the bottom if you wanna know..." Eli stared at Yukiho, mouth agape. Yukiho sweatdropped, feeling a sense of betrayal emitting from Eli. With that, she silently excused herself from the living room and left Eli in the (orz) position.

"Am I the only one who isn't dating?!" Eli asked the gods, frustrated with the fact that her best friend was dating someone without even telling her.

Well, at least she'll get some advice from whoever she asks...

XXXXXX

"How's Project HARASHO coming along...?" Nico asked, a drained look on her face.

"Yeah... I heard from Yukiho that you're gonna stay over and make manjus... Dunno why I was banned from going home though..." Honoka added, her face devoid of muscle. They waited for Eli to respond, only turning their heads to Eli's direction when they failed to hear a response. Unfortunately, their friend had fainted from fear due to their appearances.

"ELI!" Nico cried out as she went over to Eli's body, worried for her friend.

"N-Nico...? Who turned you into a zombie...?" Eli mumbled out, delusional from fear.

"I'm not a god damn zombie. Geez. How's the project coming along?"

"W-Which one...? Zombies, zombies, everywhere..." Honoka poured a glass of water for Eli and placed it close to her mouth, hydrating Eli.

"Eli-chan! Speak to us!" Thankfully, Eli regained her sanity and stood up from her spot.

"Thanks Honoka. By the way, why do you two looked so drained?" Honoka and Nico held up their textbooks as evidence of their deteriorating health.

"I have an English and Geography test today! I have to pass, if not the principal will _kill_ me!" Honoka exclaimed, trembling at the thought.

"And you Nico?"

"Tojo-sensei's 'Washi washi' session..."

"Hah?!" Nico then pointed to her chest while raising her maths textbook. Eli then understood what did the club president meant by that.

"That's what the boob demon told me to call the damn cramming session. Should have ask ya for help... or Umi, but I think you're better."

"Yeah! She insulted us yesterday!" Honoka cried out, holding out two slices of bread and placing it at the sides of her head. "I'm an idiot sandwich!"

"That's random... It's rare of you to say that you're stupid yourself..." Eli commented, removing the bread from Honoka's hands and munching on one of them.

"That's what Umi did to her yesterday..." Nico gritted her teeth, as though she was trying to resist something.

"Yikes... Oh right, what does the 'HARASHO' in the project stand for? Hanayo asked about it yesterday..." Nico smirked as she slammed a fist on the table.

"It stands for 'Help Ayase Reach A Sonoda's Heart Officially'!" Eli deadpanned at the phrase, wondering why did she even bothered to ask.

"Okay... Then you're not carrying this project out since you're just wasting my time!"

"Get her a fox plushie! You remind her of one, well according to what I asked yesterday." Honoka replied, texting someone on her handphone.

"Umi likes plush toys? Well that's interesting..." Eli scribbled down Honoka's idea on the same notebook that contained Hanayo's and Maki's ideas. Eli then turned to Nico, expecting a response from her.

"Huh? Oh uh... an Eli plushie?" Eli was halfway done with Nico's idea when she abruptly stopped.

"M-Me?! T-That's..."

"Or you could just make a fox Eli plushie, that works too. Plus they're all the rage." Nico suggested, combining the two ideas into one. Eli nodded vigorously and erased Honoka's idea, scribbling down Nico's second idea.

"Eli-chan, aren't you gonna stay over at my place to make Valentine manju?" Honoka asked, making the quarter Russian remember all about her promise.

"Nah, I'll make her plushie. Of course, I'll need to get something in return but we can settle it later... When do you want it?" Nico offered, pitying her rival in popularity.

"C-Could you pass it to me before the start of the first lesson?" Eli asked, Honoka shook her head and explained why.

"Isn't it more romantic if you place it in her locker with the box of manju you're gonna make?"

"Wouldn't it better for her to confess after school when she has her solo archery practice?" Nico added, not agreeing with Honoka's idea.

"I agree with Nico. I don't think Umi would prefer receiving something so 'shameless' while the others are present." Eli quipped in, her fingers making quotation marks to emphasise on the word.

"Well, whatever floats your boat. _You're_ the one confessing! Two more days to go, see ya!" Honoka rushed out of the door, having just remembered about the two tests she had to attend.

"I'll pass it to ya during break time, I'm not gonna let my rival down! Later~" Nico exited the clubroom, leaving the clubroom to herself.

"Yosh! Umi, I'm gonna get you!" Eli shouted out the first verse to the latest BiBi song before skipping out of the clubroom, trying her best to be excited for the day of her confession.

XXXXXX

"Gyaaaaaah... I can't do it... I tried making myself excited for tomorrow but... oh god help me Nozomi!" Eli groaned, her whole body trembling in fear. Fear of heartbreak that is.

"On a good note, if she _does_ reject you... You could sing 'Arifureta Kanashimi No Hate' with lots of 'heartbreak' in them!" Nozomi playfully teased, poking Eli's supple cheeks.

"Yeah yeah! You could go HEARTBREAAAAK! Like that!" Kotori chirped, giggling at the thought of Eli singing her solo in a heartbroken state.

"I'll give you two a heartbreak that both of you will never forget!" Eli snapped, unable to take anymore teasing.

"Okay okay calm down. I'm seeing through my 'Junai Lens' that you should just 'believe in it'!" Nozomi said, making a camera sign with her fingers.

"Oh my god! You're not taking this seriously are you?!"

"Haha, sorry Eli-chan we couldn't help it!" Eli glared at Kotori and Nozomi, peeved that they weren't taking her love life seriously.

"Grr... Before your 'present, future' is gone, I suggest that you help me already."

"Give yourself as Umi-chan's present!" Kotori suggested, an innocent smile on her face. Eli's face turned a bright red as she digested Kotori's innocent suggestion.

"N-No! That's like, really indecent! I'm not even dating her at all!"

"Okay then Elichi, have sex for her birthday present!"

"Why the hell are you two so..." Eli slapped a hand on to her forehead, mentally counting to ten before removing it.

"Open-minded?" Kotori offered, seeing that Eli was fumbling her words.

"Lewd. Geez... plus Umi's birthday isn't tomorrow. So having _that_ is a big no-no."

"Aw~ But it's a good idea yan~"

"It may be if we're dating. And what's with the 'yans' lately? Just cause it's part of your Kansai accent..."

"Nothing at all yan~"

"I swear to god... Couldn't I give her chocolates?" Kotori and Nozomi shook their heads to Eli's own suggestion. Nozomi then grabbed Eli's notebook, flipping through the pages.

"Ooh, the others have quite the ideas. As usual, Maki-chan is so boring..." Eli snatched back the notebook, placing it into her bag.

"Anyway Nozomi? I heard from a little birdie that you're dating Honoka..." Nozomi immediately turned to look at Kotori, an accusing glare on her face.

"It wasn't me! I said it before, I'll keep your secret if you and Nico-chan kept mine! I didn't say anything!" Kotori immediately defended herself, averting her eyes from the hard stare Nozomi was giving.

"Actually it was Yukiho... I need to leave for Honoka's house to make Valentine manju! See you guys tomorrow!" With that, Eli left the clubroom.

"Soooo... Are you giving _her_ anything? I mean, she's actually quite a kind person..."

"N-Nozomi-chan! Please stop, we all know that nothing good could ever come out of it!"

"But you confessed to her so bravely, don't you think that your bravery will be rewarded?" Nozomi stood up from her seat and prepared to leave the clubroom.

"My bravery won't be rewarded in the eyes of society, it's a taboo love after all." Nozomi shrugged and gave a sympathetic smile as she exited the room, leaving Kotori alone.

"Let's cheer Elichi on first, see ya~"

XXXXXX

"Here you go Eli, one fox Eli plushie. Hanayo ensured that it's fit for Umi." Nico casually said, handing over the plush toy to Eli. "I even added a ribbon."

"Thank you so much Nico! How do you want me to repay you?" Eli beamed, carefully retrieving the plush toy from Nico's hands.

"Hm? Oh uh, our anniversary is coming up so... could you teach me how to make those fancy bracelets? I want to give her something other than rice..." Nico trailed off, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

"You're dating Hanayo?!"

"Elichi, everyone in Muse is dating someone. Rin-chan's with Maki-chan, Honoka-chan's with me, Nicocchi's with Hanayo-chan and you with Umi-chan!" Nozomi placed a hand on Eli's shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"Wait, what about Kotori?"

"Huh? Oh yeah about that... my cards couldn't exactly pinpoint who's dating Kotori-chan but I'm positive that she's a good person~" Nozomi continued, staring at the floating clouds outside the classroom window. "They look so fluffy..."

"I know right? They look like my Hanayo..." Nico muttered, drooling at the thought of her rice-loving girlfriend.

"Please don't fantasise about Hanayo here. You will be seeing her later during our break." Eli attempted to snap Nico back to reality, ultimately failing.

"Nozomi-chaaaaaaan!" Honoka hugged Nozomi, kissing her lightly on Nozomi's cheek. Nozomi laughed as she gently pulled away from Honoka's grasp. From their angle, they could see many love bites on Honoka's pale neck.

"P-Put a plaster on or two!" Nico snapped, slamming a pack of plaster on to the table, pushing it to Honoka.

"Eh? But I didn't get injured?"

"It's for here." Eli pointed to her neck, with Honoka and Nozomi blushing the next minute.

"Honoka-chan, let's go to the washroom to put them on. Elichi, if the homeroom teacher comes in before I get back tell her why I'm gone okay?" Nozomi linked arms with Honoka's and brought her to the washroom. It just so happened that the teacher had entered the classroom right after Nozomi had left with Honoka.

"Hm? Where's Tojo-san?" The teacher asked, unable to find Nozomi sitting in her seat.

"She went to fuck Kosaka-san of class 2-A." Nico replied, not batting an eyelash. The class turned their heads towards Nico, the teacher and Eli were no exceptions.

"What?! We all know that she's horny 24/7!"

XXXXXX

"Nico-chan! Let's eat lunch together!" Hanayo approached Nico, her lunchbox in hand. Nico nodded happily and was about to accompany her to their usual hangout to eat but was disrupted by an announcement.

"Nico Yazawa of class 3-C, I repeat, Nico Yazawa of class 3-C, please report to the principal's office immediately." Nico grumbled, annoyed that her time with her beloved was disrupted. She whispered something into Hanayo's ear before storming off to meet the principal.

"So Eli-chan, whose idea did you use?" Hanayo asked, having just sat down on Nico's seat.

"Oh that, I've decided to go with your idea and Nico's second idea. I think I'll use Maki's idea for Umi's birthday and chocolates?" Eli replied, holding up the fox Eli plush toy.

"That's a good idea! Oh right, Rin-chan just gave Maki-chan a box of chocolates with a picture a chibi Rin-chan on it!"

"That's so sweet of Private Rin~"

"She ate the chocolates right?" Hanayo shook her head, scrolling through her handphone before stopping at a picture.

"They asked me to take this just before I left the classroom! I'm supposed to send it to them later!" It displayed Rin placing an arm over Maki's shoulder, the latter sporting a blush on her face as she tried to cover her face with the box of chocolates.

"That's so sweet of Rin-chan!" Kotori said, having just entered the classroom along with Honoka and Umi in tow. Honoka pounced on Nozomi while Umi stood awkwardly next to Kotori.

"Oh Umi, just the person I was looking for! I wanted to talk about the choreography for the new song?"

"Hm? What is it?" Eli panicked as she only used the choreography as an excuse to catch Umi's attention.

"Why don't I tell you after your solo archery practice? We can walk home together, hold hands, whispering 'I love you' to each other..." Umi blushed as she heard Eli's words, embarrassed by it.

"G-Geez! Don't tease me like that! But sure, if you're willing to wait for me then..." Before Umi could finish her words, the bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch break. "Oh we have to go. See you later Eli!"

"Well that went great!" Nozomi said, optimistic about the turn events. "Right Elichi?"

"..."

"Elichi?" Eli simply sighed and went back to her seat, her thoughts left wandering.

 _'I'm not teasing though...'_

XXXXXX

"Hmm... I wonder why is my concentration off today...?" Umi sighed to herself as she went over to the target to retrieve her arrows. As she tugged out an arrow, she heard a faint opening sound of the door.

"Oh hey Eli, just let me clear up these arrows then we could walk home." Umi replied, pulling out the last few arrows. Hearing no response, she repeated Eli's name as an attempt to catch the quarter Russian's attention.

"Eli?" Umi decided to turn around and see what was Eli engrossed in doing until she failed to notice Umi's one-sided conversation. At the back of the archery hall, all she could see was a fox Eli plush toy and an opened box containing rabbit-shaped manju. Umi decided to step closer to see the addition in the hall, only to notice a card on the toy.

"I love you, will you go out with me?" Umi muttered out, her face turning scarlet after understanding Eli's true intention of meeting up with her after school.

"Um... Do you like it...? Honoka told me that foxes reminded you of me so Nico thought that a fox me plushie would be more ideal..." Eli shyly opened the door, peeking her head in.

"I... I don't know what to say..." Umi picked up the plush toy and gave it a light squeeze.

"How about a 'yes'? Ehehe... Oh and the manjus are filled with red bean! Yukiho helped me out with it!" Eli scratched her cheek, a hue of red appearing on her face.

"You really are a fox... Using such sly methods to win my heart..." Umi nodded slightly as she pressed her head on the toy, covering her expression.

"That's a yes right? I'm so happy!" Eli embraced the archer, resting her head on the latter's shoulder. "I love you Umi. I really do."

"M-Me too..." Umi turned her head to face Eli, pressing her lips on her new girlfriend.

"U-Umi?!" Eli was surprised, for she knew that Umi was a very conservative person and was unlikely to engage in anything 'shameless'.

"T-Think of that as my Valentine's Day gift from me to you! I'll make it up to you on White Day!"

"Okay! I'll look forward to it then~" Eli tightened her embrace, wanting to feel more of Umi.

The two of them spent the night at Otonokizaka, both of them dozing off after a few minutes of being in each other's embrace. When they wake up the next day, their faces will be blushing but their upcoming days will be full of joy. After all, it's the miracle of Valentine's Day.

XXXXXX

Extra:

"Remind me again why am I spending my precious time with you instead of Hanayo?!" Nico asked the woman beside her, an irritated look on her face.

"I just wanted to do something nice for Kotori... After all, I care for her... Is the chocolate supposed to be like that?" The woman held up a crumbling piece of chocolate, small pieces of it were already starting to fall off.

"Heck no. You better keep your promise of letting me off the hook from detention!" Nico snatched the chocolate and dumped it into the dustbin, sighing at the woman's lack of culinary skill.

"I will. Now please help me already, I can't crush the rock sugar." Nico's eyes widened at what she heard, storming over to the woman and peering into her bowl.

"Oh my god no wonder the first twenty chocolates taste like shit! You put salt into the damn thing! And there's powdered sugar right _in front_ of you, how the hell did you obtain the rock sugar anyway?!"

"Uh..."

"You suck at this! Who the hell cooks in your family?!"

"Kotori, why?"

"No wonder you-"

"At least I don't cause food to spontaneously combust into flames like Nishikino-san."

"Oh I _so_ regret helping you."

"You won't get detention for two more months and the club gets a 1000 yen increase in budget. Deal?"

"Tch. Fine, only because we need the cash and I don't wanna see that asshole Maths teacher."

"I'm glad we have this agreement."

"Oh kill me now..."

XXXXXX

Idiot sandwich: Something that I saw on a friend's Tumblr. (Sorry for stalking you, if you ever read this that is...)

I'm gonna get you: Cutie's Panther's 'Tsukamau chau'

Heartbreak: A listener of NozoEli Radio Garden once asked Nanjo-san how to sing Arifureta Kanashimi No Hate and she replied that as long the listener had the 'heartbreak' while singing, she's good to go.

Believe in it: Junai Lens's 'Shinjite'

When Eli threatens Kotori to crush her 'present, future': Spicaterrible's 'Watashi no ima... mirai' line.

Duration of time Nico and the woman spent in school: Until 7.30pm

Kotori's partner: Link the words 'taboo', 'society' and the extra together.

XXXXXX

Eli: What's the purpose of the above information?

For people who don't understand certain aspects of the story. I chose the ones that I feel that it's more confusing.

Umi: Sick of entertaining them?

No, just wanted to save their time of typing out a message to ask me what's the meaning of some aspects of this story.

Eli: I have nothing to say, other than the usual 'please review and crticise this story'...

Umi: Then that's then. Enjoy your Valentine's Day everyone!


End file.
